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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29360916">i will not ask you where you came from (i will not ask and neither should you)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_astronomer/pseuds/the_astronomer'>the_astronomer</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>so we are always living in the present tense [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Slow Dancing, beta read this time!!, don’t know how they got there just roll with it, even better:, i really made a playlist just for this, i think so anyways, in the kitchen @ 2 am, knowing the contents of someone else’s kitchen, maybe a kiss, nothing wrong with kissing ur homies, something intimate about it, unus annus if you squint, why in the kitchen?? fuck if i know</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:21:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,432</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29360916</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_astronomer/pseuds/the_astronomer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <span>“..what’s so funny?”</span>
</p><p>“<em><span>‘sweet lips on my lips’</span></em>, not forehead. you’re doing it wrong, c’mere.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Mark Fischbach/Ethan Nestor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>so we are always living in the present tense [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2208174</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>117</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>i will not ask you where you came from (i will not ask and neither should you)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/anteaterrr/gifts">anteaterrr</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>honey, just put your sweet lips on my lips<br/>we should just kiss like real people do</p><p>-</p><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/57V4uc2b2diZ4RPHXWecb9?si=eBcCjNuDSRCS2T53zozS1Q">title inspo / like real people do, hozier</a><br/><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2noGJflVCRqhzCcObRutz0?si=EkZkltvRQS-87KXylDaTiQ">playlist i made on impulse purely for this xoxo</a><br/>the teen+ warning is just for the cursing don’t worry</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“what the hell are you doing, ethan?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>it was a hushed whisper from mark, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs and looking into the kitchen. ethan slowly looked over, his eyes still bleary and narrowed from the overhead stove light. he wasn't even using the stove. at least, not planning to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“..i got hungry.” that was a half assed lie. he just couldn’t sleep. ethan just wanted to cause problems on purpose so he wouldn’t be alone in his sleeplessness.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“at 2am?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“..and?” ethan gave a crooked grin, grabbing a random spatula left out from a video they filmed earlier that day. something to keep his hands busy, twirling it around and swapping it between them. “you’re acting like you haven’t gotten up in the middle of the night to make food before.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“actually, no, i haven’t.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>yes, he has.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>mark was walking over to take the spatula back to wash it off and put it away when ethan hid it behind his back, and mark was unable to hold back a chuckle. ethan couldn’t help but laugh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>mark immediately tried to grab it, unsuccessful as the younger one dodged his hands with unnatural grace.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“what the fuck do you even plan on making?” he huffed, grabbing ethan’s shoulder before he could get an answer to keep him still. peering over said shoulder to make sure the spatula was still there, mark used his free hand to reach around his waist to grab it. ethan had a grip on it and mark got frustrated, starting to tug. “can you let go?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“what if i actually was gonna use this to make food, huh? like—” ethan furrowed his brows to think of some food that requires a spatula as he brought his arm back to his side. or, well, trying to. that was kind of hard when they were both trying to grab something. ethan’s spatula hand ended up in the air to try and keep it out of reach. “fuckin’— ..i’on’ know, pancakes?” </span>
  <span></span><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>mark’s spatula hand was grabbing ethan’s spatula wrist now and ethan’s breath was caught in his throat. that’s a new feeling for the books. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“gimme the spatula, ethan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>it’s evident mark’s only been awake for a maximum of 20 minutes in his voice, exhausted and soft.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“bold words for someone within bonking distance.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>the words were almost forced out, and ethan hoped to god that it was dark enough that mark couldn’t see him blush. his silhouette was against the light, anyway. lighting’s funny like that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>it was mark’s turn to furrow his eyebrows, about to ask </span>
  <em>
    <span>what the hell</span>
  </em>
  <span> ethan was going on about when he felt the plastic utensil smack the top of his head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“wh— </span>
  <em>
    <span>ow</span>
  </em>
  <span>, fucking hell—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>ethan immediately let his guard down at that, eyes widening in a panic as his free hand went to mark’s shoulder. </span>
  <em>
    <span>mark’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> hand on </span>
  <em>
    <span>ethan’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> shoulder was already at his waist, he doesn’t know how it got there, but that’s not important right now. the spatula was back on the counter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>shit</span>
  </em>
  <span>, did i actually hit you that hard?” ethan murmured nervously, his other hand reaching up to run through mark’s hair, leaning up to try and see where he hit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>mark took that as the perfect opportunity to grab the unattended spatula to gently smack the back of ethan’s head to even it out. of course, ethan flinched, and yet a giggle was bubbling up in his throat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“oh— </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span> you, i deserved that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“like hell you did.” mark muttered, unable to hold back a smile while he haphazardly tossed the spatula back onto the counter to be left unattended once again until later that morning. he could hear it clatter on the floor - he missed by a long shot. he would deal with that later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>ethan, meanwhile, only just noticed the hands on his waist, glancing down and really not liking how warm his cheeks got. hazel flicked up to meet dark brown, and mark’s starting to hesitate and about to pull his hands back and apologize before he heard a hushed ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>hold on</span>
  </em>
  <span>’. mark didn’t know if ethan was telling him to wait or to hold onto his waist tighter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>patting his pockets, ethan found his phone and pulled it out, squinting as the brightness blinded him for a second and hurrying to tone it down. mark says nothing about how red his face was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“what are you doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>this version of the question was softer. more intimate, even. mark’s hands awkwardly patted ethan’s sides as he tried to look over at the screen, eyes narrowing when it was pulled away from his view. ethan could only smile back as spotify was pulled up and the phone was put on the counter at an arm’s reach.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“..ethan?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“have i ever told you i’ve always wanted to slow dance in a kitchen at 2am?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>ethan’s hands were in his hair again, just to push it out of his face. eyes twinkling in excitement almost unnaturally in the dark. excitement that mark couldn’t possibly say no to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“i mean-.. i don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>think</span>
  </em>
  <span> so, but knowing me you’ve might’ve mentioned it once or twice and i probably forgot.” the older one murmured under his breath, glancing to the side before looking back to meet ethan in the eyes. ethan could only smile just a little wider.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>he gently got them away from the counter’s edge and looked back at his phone, back to mark.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“but would you be opposed to being my dance partner, is the question.” ethan started to drum his fingers on mark’s shoulders. his brain immediately yelled at him for asking that. his heart told everyone to shut up and hear what mark had to say.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>the overhead oven light may be dimmer than most but it was still enough to allow ethan’s eyes to see mark’s face go just a little more red in the cheeks, while his heart began to start fluttering stupidly when he heard him laugh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“just don’t step on my feet.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“you’re talking to a gymnast here, you’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>probably</span>
  </em>
  <span> in good hands.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“yeah, but you haven’t really done gymnastics since you graduated.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“shut up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>their grins mirrored. ethan guesstimated the space between himself and his phone and tapped around before he heard the music start. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>mark took a step back (</span>
  <em>
    <span>‘leaving room for jesus?’ ‘maybe’</span>
  </em>
  <span>) to give ethan room as one pair of hands met, the other ones ending up on a shoulder or a waist. it was hard to tell. their eyes adjusted enough that they can make out their socks on the floor so they aren’t stepping anywhere they’re not supposed to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>one foot back, one foot forward, that sort of thing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“you’re doing the one thing i asked you not to do.” mark chuckled breathily, glancing down and sliding away with unintentional grace, twirling his dance partner with him in the process.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“in my defense,” ethan giggled, he hasn’t really looked down since they started. “it’s dark.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>(‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>and i’d rather look at you</span>
  </em>
  <span>’)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“i’m not even wearing my contacts and i can still make sure not to step on you, you have glasses on.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>ethan rolled his eyes and scoffed playfully at that, pushing his glasses up to rest on his head, eyes instantly narrowing as he tried to make out mark’s face. it was a bad idea in conditions like these but at least he can still make out mark’s eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>it’s the stupid laugh that makes ethan’s heart speed up again. “you blind bastard.” mark reached up and brought his glasses back down and made sure they were settled snugly on the bridge of his nose. “you’re gonna end up bumping into somewhere you’re not supposed to and break something.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“well— ..with how much time i’ve spent here, i can probably navigate through your kitchen with my eyes closed—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“that’d be a nice video idea.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“—and then it’s just clips of me doing the most stupid shit because i </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> you’d suddenly renovate just to fuck with me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>mark mocked shock, gasp and all, while ethan laughed louder than he probably should’ve. “now </span>
  <em>
    <span>where</span>
  </em>
  <span> did that idea come from?” a beat. a smile. a happy sigh on ethan’s end. “..you’re right, though, i would.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“..because you’re a dick—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“aren’t we supposed to be dancing?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>ethan looked down and noticed they were only shuffling their feet at this point, eyes tracing up to his own waist and carefully moving mark’s hard off of it, plopping it onto his shoulder. moving his </span>
  <em>
    <span>own </span>
  </em>
  <span>hand to mark’s waist. the hands that were holding away from their bodies stayed where they were.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“isn’t the short one supposed to put their hands on the taller one’s shoulder?” it’s only a not-even-inch difference, shut up mark.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“your talking is distracting and </span>
  <em>
    <span>somebody</span>
  </em>
  <span> needs to take the lead here. look, lemme show you something—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“we are </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> doing any salsa dancing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“now </span>
  <em>
    <span>who</span>
  </em>
  <span> told you that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>it was just a series of them stumbling over each other’s feet and getting dizzy from one twirl too many after that. bumping into counters and drawers they forgot were there. mark more than ethan. (</span><em><span>‘you’ve lived in LA longer than i’ve even known you, how the hell do you not know your way around your own kitchen?’</span></em> <em><span>‘you’re making me crash into the counter on purpose, dipshit!’</span></em><span>)</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>it was approaching 3:30 in the morning when their dancing devolved to just simply holding each other and rocking in a slow circle. ethan resting his chin on mark’s shoulder and mark resting his head against ethan’s.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>soft g major chords slipped from the phone speaker and ethan could feel mark perk up just a little, causing him to peer over to his phone on the counter to see what song was starting to play.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“you like hozier?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“i mean, i don’t actively listen to him. it’s nice to listen to the songs when they randomly come up on shuffle, though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>ethan narrowed his eyes suspiciously at that, asking a hushed ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>then why’d you get all excited after a few chords?</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>it was mark’s turn to scoff playfully, muttering a soft ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>just shut up and listen</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ in response. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>maybe, just maybe mark carefully brought one of ethan’s hands to his chest and placed it right over the heart (what a fuckin’ sap). ethan hesitates before he reciprocates, and he doesn’t say anything about mark’s pulse picking up the pace under his fingers. mark doesn’t say anything about ethan’s.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>i had a thought dear, however scary</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>about that night, the bugs and the dirt</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>why were you digging? what did you bury</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>before those hands pulled me from the earth?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>i will not ask you where you came from</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>i will not ask and neither should you</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>honey, just put your sweet lips on my lips</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>we should just kiss like real people do</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>ethan took the little instrumental break as an opportunity to shift and move, just so his forehead can be carefully pressed against mark’s. he’s getting too tired to keep his eyes open, but mark doesn’t mind. it’s late. he’ll hold him up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>i knew that look, dear: eyes always seeking</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>was there in someone that dug long ago</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>so i will not ask you why you were creeping</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>in some sad way, i already know</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>i will not ask you where you came from</em>
</p><p>
  <em>i will not ask and neither would you</em>
</p><p>
  <em>honey, just put your sweet lips on my lips</em>
</p><p>
  <em>we should just kiss like real people do</em>
</p><p> </p><p>they both found themselves swaying side to side to the beat, ethan swears he can hear a hushed voice that isn’t his singing along to the words but he doesn’t say anything about it. it adds to the intimacy, anyways.</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>he could sense mark hesitate for a good moment or two before feeling him physically pull back. ethan wasn’t gonna do anything until he felt the slightest brushing of lips on his forehead before being carefully pressed into his skin, eyes opening a slit and giggling just a little bit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>he can’t tell what’s going on with mark’s pulse, but he can feel the steady bump-bumps increase to quick, hard bump-bumps.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“..what’s so funny?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>mark’s panicking and there’s a reason you can feel his panicked heart beating, ethan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>‘sweet lips on my lips’</span>
  </em>
  <span>, not forehead.” he hummed, lifting his face up and trying not to bonk his nose or the frame of his glasses against anything, not even trying to hold back whatever level of blushing he’s got going on anymore. it’s fine, though. “you’re doing it wrong, c’mere.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>mark couldn’t get another word in before he felt lips on his own and glasses that weren’t his own being pressed against his forehead</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>i could not ask you where you came from</em>
</p><p>
  <em>i could not ask and neither could you</em>
</p><p>
  <em>honey, just put your sweet lips on my lips</em>
</p><p>
  <em>we should just kiss like real people do</em>
</p><p> </p><p>and ethan couldn’t get a word out when he pulled away because mark pulled him right back in. at least he pushed the glasses up into ethan’s hair before it became a bigger problem for the both of them.</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>the guitar faded out and some other song took it place, but neither of them cared right now. mark was the first one to laugh once they properly took a breather, ethan immediately followed and hid his face in mark’s chest. god, his face is so red.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“of all times i didn’t think </span>
  <em>
    <span>i </span>
  </em>
  <span>would be the one making the first move.” ethan’s voice was high pitched and light, there’s tears in the corners of his eyes but they’re nowhere close to sadness. he felt dizzy. maybe all the blood in his cheeks was starving his brain of oxygen just a little.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“but you didn’t!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“kissing someone’s forehead isn’t the same thing as kissing someone on the lips, idiot!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>mark could only bury his face into ethan’s shoulder and hold him tight. he was still laughing. it echoed in his chest and reverberated in ethan’s, sending gentle rumbles through his ribcage.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“i swear to god, i thought you were having a heart attack right as i leaned in. i felt your heart racing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“i genuinely thought i was gonna die for a second, yeah.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“but would you have gone happily?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>soft, gentle lips planted a kiss on ethan’s cheek.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“..i think so.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“you think so?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“i would’ve probably wanted to get a few more videos filmed, but— ..dying of a heart attack after learning you love me ain’t half bad.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>ethan snorted and kissed him again.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>will i ever chill out with song based fics........ find out next week<br/>HEY NOW LOOK I GOT REAL NERVOUS WRITING THIS..... writing shit under the tøp fandom is okay in my brain because i’ve been into that stupid band since i was like. 12. right.<br/>mark and ethan though???? not so much. as in length of being interested. they r still very neat individuals. why else do u think i wrote it<br/>FUN FACT the fic was originally gonna have <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/2sBKLT7bFa38yVAYxYltUX?si=Qa3cA2KwRzOBvAA_jolfjA">dance with me by beabadoobee</a> (u should still listen to it tho) as it’s centerpiece song but. hozier came up on shuffle. it hurt a lil too much. but guess who learned a lot about bog bodies in the meantime!<br/>ant this one’s for u because u were my beta reader and editor. fuckin loser lol ❤️</p></blockquote></div></div>
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